Tunnel warfare
Use of tunnels and other underground cavities in wars
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| 2025 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Prisoner exchange takes place, with released Palestinians showing signs of torture, starvation, and severe medical conditions
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| February 25 2025 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Hamas and Israel reportedly reached a new deal for the return of four hostages' bodies and 602 Palestinian security prisoners, with a condition to end handover ceremonies.
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| February 22 2025 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Israel refused to release 620 Palestinian prisoners as originally stipulated, citing Hamas's violations during the Bibas family body handover, despite Hamas releasing six living hostages.
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| February 21 2025 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Hamas returned the dead body of Shiri Bibas to Israel, after previously delivering an incorrect body.
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| January 19 2025 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Hamas released three female hostages - Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher - who were transferred by the Red Cross to Israeli authorities and reunited with their mothers after 471 days.
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| January 19 2025 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Ceasefire initially scheduled for 8:30 AM was delayed until 11:15 AM due to Hamas not providing hostage names on time. Hamas subsequently published the list on Telegram, and the ceasefire took effect.
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| January 15 2025 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Israel and Hamas reached an agreement to exchange hostages and prisoners, with mediation by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar. The deal included a ceasefire and the release of hostages abducted during the 7 October 2023 attacks.
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| January 2025 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Ceasefire agreement announced, with prisoners reporting escalated abuse following the agreement
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| 2024 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Israel conducts airstrikes and ground invasion against Hezbollah, killing leaders including Hassan Nasrallah.
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| 2024 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Negotiations for prisoner exchange continue, primarily based on a proposal by U.S. President Joe Biden involving a three-phase hostage release and ceasefire plan.
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| 2024 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Syrian rebel forces launch offensives leading to the collapse of the Assad regime, taking advantage of weakened regional alliances.
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| 2024 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Hamas executes hostage Hirsh Goldberg (an American citizen), with reports indicating hostages suffered from malnourishment and ill-treatment, including sexual assault.
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| 2024 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Israel conducts multiple operations against Hamas, killing several Hamas leaders and executing rescue missions.
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| 2024 | A Royal United Services Institute report detailed Hamas's sophisticated tunnel infrastructure, revealing two types of tunnels: deep, well-equipped tunnels for high-ranking commanders and shallower tunnels for lower-level members. |
| October 2024 | During a ground offensive against Hezbollah, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) target tunnels in southern Lebanon and report the discovery and destruction of over 50 tunnel shafts in the area. |
| August 15 2024 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
One of the prisoners released during the swap was killed in an Israeli drone strike while attacking Israeli forces during a counter-terrorism operation in the Balata refugee camp.
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| August 12 2024 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Tariq Daoud, an 18-year-old released during the swap, carried out an attack, shooting and seriously wounding an Israeli man and two Palestinians. He was subsequently shot dead by Israeli forces.
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| March 21 2024 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Another teenage boy who was released during the swap was re-arrested during a raid on his family home.
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| February 27 2024 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
A teenage boy previously released during the prisoner swap was rearrested by Israeli forces.
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| January 24 2024 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Israel re-arrested a teenager who was previously released as part of the prisoner swap, claiming the seventeen-year-old had engaged in 'terrorist activities' after his release. The Palestinian Prisoners' Society condemned the re-arrest as a 'blatant violation' of the swap agreement's terms.
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| 2023 | During the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Hamas's extensive underground tunnel network became a critical military focus, with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) identifying tunnel destruction as a 'top priority'. |
| December 2 2023 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al-Arouri declared that no further prisoner or hostage exchanges would occur with Israel until a ceasefire was established in Gaza.
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| November 2023 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention increased to approximately 10,000, with around 8,300 confirmed by the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs.
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| November 28 2023 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
By this date, 180 Palestinian prisoners had been released from Israeli prisons as part of a negotiated exchange, chosen from a list of 300 held Palestinians. Notable releases included Israa Jaabis and Ahed Tamimi.
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| November 24 2023 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Hamas released a total of 24 hostages, including 13 Israeli citizens (some with dual citizenship), 10 Thai citizens, and one Filipino citizen. The Israeli government confirmed the release of 13 Israeli hostages, and Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin confirmed the release of 12 Thai hostages from Gaza.
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| November 22 2023 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Israel and Hamas reached an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of 50 hostages, with Israel agreeing to release 150 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas confirmed children would be the primary group of hostages released.
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| November 13 2023 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Hamas told Qatari mediators they were willing to release up to 70 women and children hostages from Gaza in exchange for a five-day truce and the release of 275 women and children held by Israel.
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| October 7 2023 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, involving a rocket barrage and militants breaching the Gaza-Israel barrier. During the attack, 1,195 Israelis were killed and 251 were taken captive. Hamas cited freeing Palestinian prisoners as a primary motivation for the attack.
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| October 7 2023 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Conflict begins, marking the start of a period of reported increased mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention facilities
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| April 2022 | Ukrainian troops used an extensive underground tunnel system in the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol to resist Russian and separatist troops, creating a last defensive stronghold that could potentially withstand nuclear bombing. |
| January 2019 | Continuation of Operation Northern Shield, with Israeli forces continuing to destroy Hezbollah tunnels along the border. |
| December 2018 | The Israeli military begins Operation Northern Shield, targeting and destroying six Hezbollah tunnels along Israel's border. |
| October 30 2017 | A cross-border attack tunnel was located within Israeli borders and subsequently detonated, highlighting the ongoing tunnel warfare between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. |
| March 4 2015 | Rebel forces in the Syrian Civil War detonated a large quantity of explosives in a tunnel near/under the Air Force Intelligence Building in Aleppo, causing partial building collapse. The explosion was immediately followed by an armed rebel assault against the Syrian Armed Forces. |
| 2011 |
2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange
Notable Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange between Israel and Palestinians occurred, establishing a precedent for captive exchanges in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Tunnel warfare & 2023 Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.